mushroom cloud

NOUN

large ominous cloud

Synonyms

WEAK

fallout nuclear fallout radioactive cloud

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Footage shows the towering rocket erupt in an inferno, followed by a mushroom cloud of smoke as bystanders gathered to watch the launch gasp "Oh no!" and "Oh my God!"

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Harry Truman’s legacy froze the moment the mushroom cloud rose over Hiroshima.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Federal investigators later concluded that the open burn and the black mushroom cloud it produced were unnecessary, but it was too late.

From Salon • Oct. 5, 2024

She is posing exuberantly, her arms up-flung, with a cloud of blonde hair and, affixed to her swimsuit, a cottony, torso-sized mushroom cloud.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2023

Lauren Bristol is beside me, behind the image of the mushroom cloud after the bombing of Hiroshima.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali